Henrietta Zuel
Henrietta Zuel feels that the experience of playing on the LET Access Series was extremely beneficial to her career as a professional golfer.
Last season Henrietta Zuel secured two tournament victories on the Access Series, at the Terre Blanche Ladies Open and LETAS Ladies Open.
By finishing second on the order of merit, the 22-year-old Englishwoman earned her full Ladies European Tour card for 2012 where she has recently posted two top-10s on the LET, with a tie for third at the ISPS Handa Ladies British Masters and a tie for seventh at the UNIQA Ladies Golf Open presented by Raiffeisen in Austria.
“That’s how I kept my card: because I had a bad start to the year. That gave me a bit of confidence and allowed me to play fully this year,” said Zuel, who was a member of the Faldo Series as an amateur.
“Just winning again is huge. The field is always pretty good with a few main tour players in there and my first win was in a play-off against Ashleigh Simon and it was really enjoyable and exciting and gives you a lot of confidence to win again.
“I’ve heard so many girls say how good it is if they don’t have full categories on this tour. To continue playing is really important.
“One of my friends I encouraged to turn pro. She couldn’t play anywhere but now she can play LETAS, whereas before there wasn’t anywhere to play apart from main tour.”
This is now Henni’s fifth season on the LET and she is keen to make the breakthrough into the winner’s circle on the circuit, following the success of her amateur team mates such as Florentyna Parker, Melissa Reid and Carly Booth.
“I’m definitely looking for my first win and I feel like that’s a real possibility now. I’m looking for consistent finishes: more top 10s, top fives,” she commented.
On her season to date, she added: “I had a pretty slow to medium start. I’ve been happy with my game but I’ve been waiting for it to click. I was just making cuts but then the British Masters was where it came together for me and then in Austria, so I’m playing well.”
Zuel recommends the Access Series to anyone thinking about turning professional or attending Tour School to help them make the transition from the amateur game to the paid ranks.
She also feels that playing on the LETAS is a great warm-up for the LET players to get back into the game after a gap in the schedule.
